Security tight for election

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka deployed thousands of police yesterday in stepped up security on the eve of a general election after the campaign was hit by sporadic violence that claimed four lives.

Pol Insp Gen NK Illangakoon said 63,000 officers were fanning out across the country to guard polling booths and counting centres for today’s election, while paramilitary commandos were on alert in case of trouble.

“We have taken additional measures to ensure that the election is conducted peacefully and there are no incidents in the post-election period too,” Mr Illangakoon said in a statement.

Two party workers were killed and a dozen others wounded when gunmen opened fire at a ruling United National Party rally in Colombo two weeks ago. Mr Illangakoon said several arrests have been made. Another two people were killed in two separate shooting incidents elsewhere during the month-long campaign.

Despite the deaths, private election monitors said there had been fewer incidents of violence compared to previous elections over the past two decades.

Former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa is seeking an unlikely comeback as prime minister at the election after his loss at the presidential poll in January to his one-time protege Maithripala Sirisena.

Many observers were stunned by Mr Sirisena’s victory over Mr Rajapaksa, who had been in power for nearly a decade and oversaw the crushing of the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in 2009.

Although Mr Rajapaksa is reviled by large sectors of the minority Tamil community, he retains widespread support among ethnic Sinhalese voters and his rallies have drawn big crowds. Mr Sirisena has vowed to veto any attempt by Mr Rajapaksa to become premier if their United People’s Freedom Alliance wins.